Pants for winter/snow

I'd recommend a pair of eVent pants because they breath much better than Gore-Tex but will keep you dry in winter rain and wet snow. If you're days away from the trailhead this can be critical. Both my insulated and non-insulated alpine ski pants are Gore-Tex and, as a ski partoller I prefer them to non waterproof pants.

For non-waterproof winter pants I use "5.11" brand nylon "canvas" cargo pocket pants. The nylon dries relatively fast. They are around $50. and have double seat and knees. The knees have an inner vertical opening to insert 5.11's 1/8" thick contoured neoprene pads, great when you have to kneel in the snow. I prefer these pants to the equavlent RailRiders for price AND construction.

But if you're like me and on a budget get Cabela's Rainy River GTX PacLite pants for $99. They have knee high leg zippers & stuff into their own back pocket.

Skiing? Snowshoeing? Just postholing? Where in the NE?

Marmot PreCip are cheap and will get the job done for any of those. Get the full-zip for ease of going on and off.

If the snow isn't that deep, gaiters and windpants or softshell work well. I like the Mountain Hardwear Transition Tights.

I can highly recommend the MontBell Mountain Strider pants. Been backcountry skiing and ice climbing in them with no problems.

I use a pair of Rab Fusion Softshell Pants. These are eVent and I have no complaints.

I have the Loki Levity pant and they rock! Light, full zippers and very breathable.

http://www.lokiusa.com/product_detail.php?ID=P121

I'll second the recommendation for the MontBell Strider pants. I've found them very comfortable, and they block most of the wind and cold while still breathing well. Overall, a good compromise.

For another pants alternative, I tried the Railriders Winter Weatherpants this spring. They were way too warm to be hiking in, restricted my stride, and didn't hold up to wayward crampons, but they help up to glissading and didn't seem to absorb water while doing it. I guess that's not much of a recommendation. I would have preferred something like the Ecomesh with a thicker seat and then used gaiters when bushwhacking or wearing crampons.

Eugene,

I treat my 5.11 nylon "canvas" pants with BOTH NikWax wash-in DWR and Revivex spray-on DWR. This dual system treatment works very well for me on many garments needing a lasting DWR.